Thank you Father Gregory, and Father Jacob. Gorgeous explanations of the gorgeous Divine Comedy. Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.

How does this not have any more likes?! or more comments!? Thanks for this! Super interesting.

Fr Gregory we need an episode on the poverty experiment 🤣

I practiced Buddhism for ten years, which is not to say that I did it well. However, when you mentioned the practice of contrapasso, I remembered Buddhism has antidotes which I think are transferable to Christianity and Catholicism. They don't believe in all of the same sins that we do, and I don't know all of the antidotes. A couple that I do remember are that for jealousy, the antidote is joy, or as Buddhists verbalize it, that the other may have happiness that is free from suffering. The antidote to anger is loving kindness, which a Buddhist might verbalize as wishing that that person has happiness and the causes of happiness, which formulation negates the possibility of happiness from evil causes. I believe there are multiple antidotes for all of the sins, but these are really useful, because you can implement them immediately, by at least thinking them to yourself, or aspiring to feel that way in that situation. I try really carefully to not apply Buddhist thought where it does not agree with Christianity, but I think these dovetail nicely, and offer an additional tool that helps with good, Christian practice. If you find these interesting or helpful, I am sure you can find lists of antidotes. In addition, while practicing Buddhism during a time that I was recovering from a serious mental breakdown, I suffered from anger so that I yelled at people in public. I knew I had to quit, but I couldn't stop. I memorized a famous Buddhist chapter on patience by a respected Buddhist teacher, Shantideva. I estimate that that entrenched behavior reduced by 80% when I was done memorizing that chapter. I am sure that similar practices with Catholic teachings and scriptures can work similarly. Actually, as I am dictating this into the phone, it reminds me that I need to try it, again, for a few of my current shortcomings. Thank you for the teachings. They really help. I hope that my suggestions from the Buddhist teachings are a useful complement.

Excited to see the collab episode with Fr. Mark Mary and the rest of Poco A Poco team! God bless our friars!

I do not think Dante intends to convey a progressive dematerialization. The reason the people whom Dante encounters in inferno and purgatory cannot be touched or cast a shadow is that the general resurrection has not occurred. To suggest that the more we get to heaven, the less material we become would, I think, be heretical.